When Clifton Hunter graduates turn up for their first job interviews after leaving school or college, they’ll already have some experience under their belts in being face-to-face with potential employers.
Year 11 students at the school swapped their school uniforms for business attire on Friday as they practiced their interviewing skills with real employers.
“The kids look very smart. They’re all excited, they don’t look like Year 11 students. It’s quite scary how old they look,” said event organizer Paula Wythe, who is the lead teacher of business studies at the school.
While the interviews may have been a pretend exercise, they provided students with job interviewing experience to prepare them for real-life job hunting. Interviewers from 15 businesses participated in the mock interviews.
In preparation for the interviews, as well as future employment prospects, students learned about the process of applying and preparing for employment, such as how to write a professional cover letter and resume, and were given tips on professional language and personal presentation.
Ms Wythe believes in students taking an active role in the community. “This event is invaluable in providing the students with real-life simulation by partnering with employers in the community to assist with the lesson. I would like to thank all of the companies that took part and supported our students by providing them with this wonderful experience,” she said.
The student career choices were across the board ranging from chefs and accountants to mechanics and filing clerks. Companies from a wide spectrum of industries took part, including from the fields of hospitality, water sports, engineering, veterinarian services, banking, insurance, car mechanics and accountancy.
Ms Wythe said that mock interviews can play a key role in helping local students secure jobs in the future. “They don’t have any work experience so it’s a key thing for them to understand what they need to do to get jobs in this kind of business in the future,” she said.
Guest interviewer from the Reef Resort, Susan Halenda, said the “areas students benefit from most is when we review their resumes and cover letters and actually researching companies before they come, which is a big thing,” she said.
Mock interviews can also give students a head start in the working world. “We’ve hired a lot of interns who we’ve brought on board to the Reef, and put them into a placement later, so it’s nice to see that progression, that you can mentor and make a difference in someone,” she said.
Ms Halenda’s additional tasks as a guest interviewer were to review a number of resumes and provide feedback in the areas of: attire, interviewing skills, and how to write a professional cover letter and resume.
“One of the things I always try to cover is this is your first and primary impression, so it’s the one you should spend time on,” she said.
Seeing “u” instead of “you” or an “LOL” in a cover letter or resume is almost guaranteed to turn employers off a candidate, something Ms Halenda was able to communicate with students at the interviews.
She said she could see the influence of texting in some cover letters, with students using abbreviated language more often seen in text messages.
“You can see the impact of everyone being on a cell phone and texting, some [use texting language] in their cover letters, so it’s good for them to know now that they have to look at changing that,” said Ms Halenda.
Following the interviews, students received feedback as to their interview performance and areas to work on to make themselves more employable.
While high school is coming to an end for these young adults who will go on to further their education or gain employment in the following year, their futures are bright, Ms Whthe said.
“Our students will go on to St. Ignatius, Cayman Prep, or UCCI, these are our oldest students,” she said.
More career activities on the horizon for Clifton Hunter High School in the coming school year. “We’re actually doing a lot of career work this year, we’ve got a careers fair coming up for our Year 9, 10, and 11 students where they’ll get a chance to have one-to-one chats with different employers so they understand about option choices and how to apply for these jobs, what the qualifications are, etc.,” Ms Wythe said. “Hopefully, in several years’ time, our students will be well and truly prepared for the world of work.”
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